[Closed] Lefty Forks - Worth The Money?

You come across as a bit of a clueless, hamfisted oaf.

All this rudeness, all because i happen to have a differing point of view to yours. Why the hostility? Oh, and what do you do for a living? How old are you, and what experience do you have with cycle mechanics?

Why are you so quick to want to judge someone you don't know, and haven't a clue about their experience/skil? You, who were so sensitive and upset over a bit of gentle banter about your (questionable, in my opinion) taste in cycle footwear. 😆

I made a snap judgement based on what you've said on here - and I maintain that few people buying £1000 forks would be concerned that fitting a cycle computer is marginally harder than a normal fork. That you think they're ubiqutious, and that you'd recommend a fork like a Reba for reasons of questionable merit, including that you can service them without need for proprietary tools tells me enough. I'm a wonderfully judgemental person you see! You could be the best mechanic in the world, but you just come across as being a little out of date, and I'm not encouraged that you're tasked with bicycle repair.

Be assured there's no 'upset' or senstitivity on my part, and no rudeness, just 'banter' 🙄 To answer your question... I'm younger than you, and have 15 years intermittant experience working in the LBS.

Anywho, I'm derailing the thread, my apologies.

And really? Loosening two Allen bolts and undoing one is a faff? MTFU

It is... I didn't say it's difficult, or hugely time consuming, or anything similar, but it's a procedure that you don't need to do with a normal fork. It's just something to be aware of if you're taking wheels on and off. Not quite sure why that's a sticking point 😕

I maintain that few people buying £1000 forks would be concerned that fitting a cycle computer is marginally harder than a normal fork

+1.

ive had two lefty's and they've both broken and the stanchions have worn out, i never ride the bike its on, instead riding my 2k chinese 29er, i need to get rid of it

eddiebaby - Member

No. That's not true.

Ah yeah, just googled it, they've apparently changed just the bottom bushing for a round one.

http://singletrackworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/cannondale-2013-new-lefty-fork/

ive had two lefty's and they've both broken and the stanchions have worn out, i never ride the bike its on, instead riding my 2k chinese 29er, i need to get rid of it

You also ride more in a weekend than most of us do in a month 😀 The service intervals in terms of days for a regrease (or top out to reseat bearings) must be painfully short! Not that this necessarily excuses the stanchion wear compared to other forks of course

Chris: when you say the stanchions wore out, is that on the newer "hybrid" design? (So I guess they wore where the lower legs slide through the bushing?) What broke on them?

Removing the front wheel with an Allen key really is no hassle at all but admittedly friends etc usually think it would be.

Love the "cycle computer" stuff, very "[i]rough stuff fellowship[/i]". 😀

I made a snap judgement

..based on **** all knowledge of anything. How surprising. 🙄

I'm a wonderfully judgemental person you see!

I gathered that. 🙄

Don't get hung up on the computer thing. You're wrong, bbut then you're probably a saturday boy in some fancy shop in Surrey that sells overpried bling to folk with more money than sense. 😉

you just come across as being a little out of date, and I'm not encouraged that you're tasked with bicycle repair.

Rest assured you don't need to bring your bike in to me. Its' probably far too new fangeld for me to comrehend! 😆 I'll just stick to sorting out stuff that the vast majority of London cyclists use.; a veritable corniucopia of cycling paraphernalia, spanning many decades of history. Never mind; one day they might let you progress to ficing punctures. 😉

Anyway...

Lefty's are good, yet relatively expensive, not so easy to service, and don't, in my opinion, represent as good value for money as other brnds. They do look mad, and will turn heads. And if you've spent over £1000 on a fork for a bicycle, you might believe they mke oyu a better rider.* 😀

*You still won't be able to mount a normal bike computer witohut spending an extra £15 though...

I had one... Never again. Hated it
Think it was a 2010. Was about as stiff as a 90 year old and as plush as a pube. The later ones post 2012 are meant to be good though. They look a bit.... Well.... Strange too.

Mine was the one with the rubber boot though which was never going to be pretty.

as stiff as a 90 year old and as plush as a pube

Eh? I'd expect a 90 year old to be very stiff? How plush are pubes?

Don't threads go downhill quickly when the OP doesn't get involved after the first post?!

I fear I had a significant hand in the degredation of this one too, sorry about that! 😳

I'm starting to learn about posting here..

Don't threads go downhill quickly when the OP doesn't get involved after the first post?!

I've been reading the posts but I'm still none the wiser, from what I can gather they're either great or terrible and either worth the price or a waste of money 😆

I probably see/work on more bikes than you do. Loads of people use cycle computers. Hardly anyone I know, bar one or two 'fanatics', bithers faffing around with GPs, smart phones etc

nah

[i]I fear I had a significant hand in the degredation of this one too[/i]

not for the first time, don't it stop you though 😉

Don't worry, I won't! 😀

I like to think I'm more helpful than argumentive! Poor tolerance of muppets, forgive me!

Poor tolerance of muppets

You must find t a struggle to live with yourself.

notmyrealname - Member

I've been reading the posts but I'm still none the wiser, from what I can gather they're either great or terrible and either worth the price or a waste of money

Been mentioned already, but the servicing costs need to be considered a bit differently to other forks. A lefty is a complex machine, relatively speaking, but it can be kept in tip-top condition forever. OTOH, don't bank on servicing it yourself unless you're a fettler of distinction. The info and tools are all out there, but it's an order of magnitude beyond a regular fork service.

And as for cost, check this out:

[url= http://www.paulscycles.co.uk/m1b0s155p5203/CANNONDALE-F29-2-%28FLASH-ALLOY%29-2013 ]Lefty[/url]

For the same price as a fork and wheel, you get a whole bike that you could sell!

My servicing cost on my last Lefty was £180 over 6 or 7 years. I don't think that is too bad, and it had a real hammering.

Stoffel was your lefty on a 26er or 29er?

Back on track.........

Pros: 1. Very light weight, 2. Very low unsprung weight making them very responsive, 3. Very easy to reach and use the lock out, 4. Stiff as a mother, 5. No faffing to remove a wheel to change a puncture on cold wet winters morning./Fast puncture change in races, 6. The most mud clearance on any fork, 7. Look cool!!

Cons: 1. Perceived as being expensive but what Carbon fork is cheap? 2. 5mm allen key wheel removal, not as quick as a quick release when putting in the back of the car, 3. One or two "Cannondale" specific tools needed for a service others are standard tools.

And as for cost, check this out:

Lefty

For the same price as a fork and wheel, you get a whole bike that you could sell!

Whilst that is a great deal, that's not the lightest Lefty - more akin to the SID in weight, and if you wanted to transfer parts onto another frame you're still left needing a 3rd party Lefty steerer kit.

But yes, for an £1100 hardtail that Flash is stonking!

Stoffel was your lefty on a 26er or 29er?

26er. I might ressurect it if I can be bothered, then flog it to someone on here,seeing as how many fanbois there are. 😆

Been mentioned already, but the servicing costs need to be considered a bit differently to other forks. A lefty is a complex machine, relatively speaking, but it can be kept in tip-top condition forever. OTOH, don't bank on servicing it yourself unless you're a fettler of distinction. The info and tools are all out there, but it's an order of magnitude beyond a regular fork service.

Bikes are relatively simple, easily maintained vehicles, that's the whole ****ing apeal. complicating thingsunnecessarily defeats the object. If Cannondale actually designed the Lefty to be more user-serviceable, and more tuneable, lke Rockshox have done, and bring the price down, then they'd have a truly killer fork. But as long as some people are prepared to fork out (!) for a 'premium' prouct, such excessive marketing will continue to flourish.

That was the purpose of the question. Had it been 110 travel for a 29er is probably have been after it myself 🙂

Garry_Lager:

it's an order of magnitude beyond a regular fork service

Is that based on your own experience? On which models?

I’m only familiar with the 29er PBR but that model, at least, seems pretty similar to conventional suspension forks to me - You take the top off and there’s a damper and a spring in there. (both fairly simple to dismantle and reassemble with an oil change) What’s so different / difficult about it compared to other forks?

The only aspect I can see being a bit tricky is dealing with the bearing strips. I’ve not taken mine apart yet (because they work fine and have no play after 3 years) but that job doesn’t look particularly more difficult than the equivalent replacing of bushings on a conventional fork...

Have I got the easy one and the other lefty models are much more difficult to work on?

I've owned a few leftys but not in the last couple of years - so dlr2s from a while back, so could well be out of date. Even if the rebuild is still a complex job, it must be far easier now in terms of the availability of information and parts.
I recall it being a real production, had to use mtbr.com a lot just to know what to do, and even then I'd say it was in a different league to any other bike job I've attempted.
But as you say, things may well have improved - the lefty is going on 15 years old now so you'd expect it to get better in this area.